Switzerland

For centuries the Wildkirchli area has exerted a singular appeal and is still today one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Appenzellerland.A cable car transports visitors in comfort from Wasserauen up to Ebenalp. From Ebenalp, a short walk on a well-maintained hiking trail passes through the Wildkirchli Caves to the hermitage and the chapel. The trail then continues eastwards along a rock face, through a wooden gallery, to Berggasthaus Aescher, a mountain inn and restaurant.The Cave Chapel was established in 1621; the Hermit’s House was built in 1658 and offered sanctuary to hermits until 1853. It later became an inn. Today the small museum is a reconstruction of the former Hermit’s House and was built in 1972 on the site of the old inn.The hermits and herdsmen began selling food and drink on Alp Aescher as far back as 1800. During the early 19th century, the mountain chalet gradually evolved into Berggasthaus Aescher, one of the oldest mountain inns in Switzerland.Enjoying a spectacular location nestled on a rock face 100 metres high, the mountain hostelry has always been – and continues to be – extremely popular. Indeed, the Aescher was named “Mountain Inn of the Year 2012” by a jury comprising experts from the fields of conservation, architecture, history and the hotel and restaurant industry.It is also famed on news portals and blogs for its unique beauty.
The Huffington Post, the USA’s most-read online newspaper, named Berggasthaus Aescher the “world’s most interesting restaurant”, while Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher extolled the extraordinary ambience of this stunning location on Facebook.The Aescher photo (see image, above) taken by Peter Böhi from the Swiss town of Altstätten even adorned the front cover of a book entitled “Destination of a Lifetime” issued by National Geographic. This magazine is renowned for its spectacular photographs of the natural world and is published in 30 languages and 50 countries with a total circulation of 2.5 million copies. It is the oldest monthly journal on the market with an uninterrupted publishing history.